I only watched parts of this game because I was sucked in by the Democratic presidential debate (I'm an independent voter though). Kobe had a solid game again, that pass to Turiaf was indeed beautiful. Luke must still not be too healthy the way's he's played.
Impressive win by the Lakers last night. I really liked the energy and ball movement they had in the first half of the game. They started the second half lethargic and Denver made a roaring comeback, but our bench unit came in and helped seal the victory. I thought Ronny Turiaf made all the difference for us last night once he subbed in for Luke. The 5 man unit with Fisher-Kobe-Odom-Turiaf-Kwame did a lot of damage to the Nuggets because they couldn't match our size. Fisher was on FIRE last night. Everything he through up was all net and he wasn't gun shy at all. Lamar Odom had a strong game last night and was moving well without the ball to get to the rim. I think KMart's trash talking and posturing lit a fire under Odom's butt and he played with a lot of emotion and aggression. We need him to play like that every game! Kobe was awesome last night for us. He picked apart the Nuggets defense by directing traffic and being patient with the basketball. I love the adjustment the coaching staff made with putting Kobe in the high post. This was the attack position of the Triangle Jordan used to play and dominate opponents at. Team's are forced with the decision to double team Kobe and hope his teammates are off, or watch Kobe go off for 40+ points on high percentage shots and a lot of free throws. We have a lot of tough games coming up so getting a win last night against a quality opponent will be a huge confidence booster. The team knows they can win with their current squad. I'm hoping to see this type of team play for the entire road trip. Go Lakers!
Shape, I thought the lineup of Farmar, Fisher, Kobe, Odom, and Turiaf was the most successful lineup...isn't that the lineup that was on the floor when we pulled away from the Nuggets in the first and second half?
Yeah that lineup was also successful, but the other one I posted was used when they took control in the first half. Turiaf and Kwame clogged the lane on Iverson and Odom's length was bothering Melo. It also forced Denver to defend Kobe with Anthony Carter haha.
When the Nuggets came back and took the lead, I was scared shitless. I thought it was time for Kobe to take over, but no. Derek Fisher, the gift from the basketball gods answered back to lead us to victory!
Eh, Odom's effort was so-so IMO. Yeah, he scored 15 points, but he shot 4/12...that's ****ing horrible. He blew....3 layups? Granted he was fouled on some of them, but they were tick tack fouls and he should've converted them. Plus he was 0/3 from three, I don't even remember the last time he made a three pointer. I'll be happy with Lamar's performance when he has an efficient performance. When Kobe misses shots, they're usually jumpers...when Odom misses they're layups and threes.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumpman @ Jan 22 2008, 09:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Sometimes I wonder why Fisher and Odom can't play like this every night.</div> It's pretty hard to be on fire shooting 6-7 from 3 point line every night. (86%) For the season, Fisher is shooting 48% FG%, and 46% from 3, they may not be 86% but they are still great numbers.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Black Mamba @ Jan 22 2008, 11:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Eh, Odom's effort was so-so IMO. Yeah, he scored 15 points, but he shot 4/12...that's ****ing horrible. He blew....3 layups? Granted he was fouled on some of them, but they were tick tack fouls and he should've converted them. Plus he was 0/3 from three, I don't even remember the last time he made a three pointer. I'll be happy with Lamar's performance when he has an efficient performance. When Kobe misses shots, they're usually jumpers...when Odom misses they're layups and threes.</div> You're right he didn't shoot a high percentage, but he was aggressive the entire game and those misses created put back shots for his teammates. I was really impressed with how well he was moving without the basketball. He made a lot of hard cuts to the rim and was consistently beating his man to the spot for layup opportunities. He also did a great job on the defensive end and was chasing down rebounds. As long as Odom is aggressive for the entire time he's on the court I'll live with his poor shooting.
